The present invention relates to hand held, or immersion, mixers or blenders for household use, and particularly relates to a foot, or base, for such mixer.
Mixers, or blenders, of this type are well known in the art and are currently in wide use. They include a foot that is coupled to a housing, or case, that encloses a motor. The foot is generally composed of a cylindrical tube having a lower part in the form of a bell that encloses a mixing tool, such as a blade. The tool is coupled to an output shaft of the motor. In use, the tool is rotated at a high speed and is immersed within a quantity of food being prepared to perform cutting, mixing, blending, etc.
In the higher quality appliances of this type, the mixing foot is made of a metal, such as stainless steel, which material has the advantages of high rigidity, good heat resistance and an attractive appearance.
However, a stainless steel mixing foot has the drawback that the user must be very careful when using the appliance to mix products in a vessel having a fragile coating, such as a casserole provided with a non-stick coating, in order to avoid damaging the coating. In effect, the material of the bell being very hard, there is a considerable risk that the bell will scratch the coating of the receptacle during use.